Nigeria moves to seize London mansions of two ex-air force chiefs after EFCC finds them

NIGERIA has commenced moves to size two London mansions belonging to former air force chiefs after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) traced the two houses to them.

 

As part of its ongoing investigation into the $2.1bn Dasukigate scandal in which money meant to buy military hardware was diverted into private pockets, the EFCC has been probing Nigerian Air Force (Naf) chiefs. It has now been discovered that the immediate past chief of air staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu and a former Naf chief of accounts and budgeting in Air Vice Marshal Jacob Adigun used to cash to buy London homes.

 

One EFCC official said: “We identified a detached house at 93b Shirehall Park, London, NW42QU, belonging to Adigun, which was bought at the cost of £875,000 while we traced another house to 50 Tenterden Grove, NW41TH, belonging to Amosu. That house was bought at over £1m."

 

It is believed that since they were purchased, the value of the houses has increased. According to the real estate website Zoopla.co.uk, the property which Air Marshal Adigun bought in August 2014 at the cost of £875,000 currently goes for £1,046,000 and Air Marshal Amosu’s property, which was purchased in November 2014 at £1,850,000, is now worth £2,175,000.

 

According to the property website, Air Marshal Amosu’s property has six bedrooms, six bathrooms and two sitting rooms. Now, the federal government plans to write to the UK government to assist it in seizing the properties, which were bought with Nigerian taxpayers’ money.

 

“What we are seeking is how to seize the properties through diplomatic means. It is a process known as Mutual Legal Treaty Assistance,” the EFCC spokesman added.

 

It is believed that a large number of mansions in the UK are owned by corrupt Nigerians. In a May 2016 report entitled Palaces of Corruption published in the The UK Daily Mail unveiled the London mansions of deceased former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the late Abubakar Audu of Kogi State and convicted ex-Delta State governor James Ibori.